Classic Films for the Classic Childhood: Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins: An Icon in nanny abilities Mary Poppins succeeds in teaching parents how to listen to their children without compromising her practically perfect standards. What’s more is that children can learn that cleaning can be fun, spending time with their parents is important, and helping to support the local bird woman offers lessons in charity and goodwill.

If you didn’t notice that a spoonful of sugar is used metaphorically through the whole film- now is the time! Having wet feet calls for medicine ( with sugar), cleaning up a bedroom ( with a song to move the job along), and visit their father at the stuffy old bank ( with a stop at Uncle Albert’s) all get better with a little well placed joy.

What I love most about this film is how it can really open up the dialogue about the olden days when they didn’t have green screens and photoshop and computers to make movies. Kids these days may just take for granted that this film could have easily been shot on a green screen to combine the live-action and animation… but no…it was shot on yellow screen with chemicals and negatives and since computers to do this caliber of work didn’t arrive till almost 30 years later it’s a great way to share a bit of history and make them feel smart too!